Union critique of fire department administration is all about money, not public safety
Guest Column
NORMAN JENSEN
Let me be very clear: the residents and businesses of Edison Township are safe, protected and well served by the Edison Fire Department. The No. 1 priority of our department is to keep our residents and property safe and protected.

Second to that priority is delivering this vital service in the most efficient and fiscally responsible manner.

Please do not be distracted by the latest negative attacks and smear campaign launched by the fire union leadership — this has everything to do with money and nothing to do with fire safety.

I have been part of the Edison Fire Department for 35 years and I can tell you fire safety has been made a priority by Mayor Jun Choi and the current administration. Years of neglect in the past have been replaced by better training, streamlined operations and increased capital investments to improve and upgrade the department.

Since 2006, Edison's safety has been bolstered by the addition of firefighters and emergency medical technicians, now allowing three ambulances to be staffed daily. Officers have been promoted and new fire apparatus has been put into operation with more on the way. Long-overdue technology upgrades have been made with the addition of new computer, fax machines and the use of updated technologies at our firehouses.

Here are just a few more examples of the tremendous support this administration has provided to our fire department:

• After decades of being a good idea, a new Public Safety Center with a full firehouse station is being built in Raritan Center at no cost to taxpayers.

• More than $1 million has been invested in new equipment and firehouse upgrades.

• Two new fire trucks are on the road, two more are on order, and a longterm capital improvement program is in place.

• Four additional ambulances are now servicing the residents of Edison.

• More than $60,000 has been invested in new state-of-the-art recall pagers for emergency communications.

• New floors have been installed at every firehouse.

• Secured federal grant money for hand-held computers for fire safety inspections and Freddie the Fire Truck, a fire-safety teaching robot used to assist fire prevention and safety education programs for local children.

Mayor Choi had an amicable relationship with the union's executive board until he stood up for a contract that protected taxpayers and refused to give away the bank in another contract cycle that would put the township finances in jeopardy. The reality is that the fine firefighters of Edison who have done a terrific job protecting our community — as recently evidenced by the rapid response and evacuation of the recent Durham Woods Apartments fire — are well compensated for their work with generous benefits. They have one of the most competitive salary and benefit structures of any fire department in the state.

Now, [Edison Firefighters Association President Robert] Yackel seems to be using union funds to execute a personal vendetta against a mayor who has the courage to stand up for taxpayers and to end the cushy insider politics. Just days after the union lost many cushy, over-the-top contract items in an arbitration settlement, Mr. Yackel hired a high-priced New York City public relations firm to launch his fallacy-filled attacks.

In Edison, minimum staffing is 24 on-duty responders comprised of 22 firefighters and two command officers. The maximum in this case can be as great as 34 on-duty responders. In Edison, we immediately send a minimum of 11 firefighters and officers, plus available volunteers. This leaves us with an equal amount of manpower to respond to another emergency in town.

Mr. Yackel's stance on calling in offduty firefighters shows his continued disregard for hardworking taxpayers.

In the past, off-duty firefighters would be called in to man a firehouse when one fire apparatus left the town to help a neighboring community. This old process mandated that an officer and two firefighters to be called in and get paid four hours of overtime. Taxpayers were doling out overtime before incidents could even be assessed. Overtime was being paid while the rest of the shift remained in the fire stations and without even attempting to use volunteer firefighters.

Now, the present policy assesses emergency needs and then calls in overtime if necessary. In every emergency we will be well staffed with a strong response, no matter who we have to call. But this past procedure encouraged costly inefficiencies.

The idea that firefighting training has been cut is a smoke-and-mirrors manipulation of facts. The Edison Fire Department only hires trained firefighters. Today's new firefighter comes on the job with more education than some retired firefighters leave with. We continue to conduct daily training to hone skills necessary to fight fires.

This administration has been and remains committed to having the most effective and efficient fire department. Mr. Yackel and his executive board raised multiple workplace safety issues with a state agency. In turn, the state agency validated the township's enormous efforts to create a safe working environment and provide ongoing training.

Edison residents, businesses and taxpayers, rest assured that your fire department is always working to keep you safe and protected, and we are always working to do this in the most efficient manner.
Norman Jensen
Chief
Edison Fire Department